A delegation representing young people from across the Anglican Communion will be attending the UN Civil Society Conference (UNCSC) in Nairobi, Kenya from 9 to 10 May.
The purpose of the conference is to gather civil society ahead of the UN Summit of the Future – a major event for world leaders this September about reforming the UN and tackling issues that will define our future. It comes at a crucial time when trust between nations is fragile and big questions are being asked about AI, power and the health of our planet. Unusually, civil society groups have not been allowed to observe the pre-Summit negotiations between governments and instead are being consulted about their views in this separate event.
Key issues to be addressed at the Conference include the scarcity of resources for development, international conflict, relations with youth, development of new technology and reforming institutions. Anglican churches see the impact of these issues daily and our provinces, networks and commissions have deep wisdom and expertise in guiding transformative action. Attending the conference emphasises the fact that faith voices matter in questions about the future, since over 80% of the world’s population looks at the future through the lens of a faith [1] and faith communities will be essential in implementing change.
The Anglican Communion has a strong youth presence and a fully African presence at the conference. Members of the delegation are the Venerable Kofi de Graft Johnson, General Secretary of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA), Grace Maghanga from Green Anglicans, Kenya and Naftaly Ndungu from the Anglican Youth Network.
"I'm hoping the conference will safeguard the future of youth and future generations by putting in place mechanisms to create opportunities for sustainable livelihoods and mitigation of the effects of conflicts and climate change. This calls for concerted efforts by the UN, governments and the civil society, " said Naftaly Ndungu, Regional Secretary for Africa 2, Finance and Planning Coordinator for the Anglican Communion Youth Network.
The delegation will attend a series of consultations with other faith and civil society groups and with the UN. They will work on shared statements and build coalitions to strengthen how we serve discussions at the UN’s Summit of the Future in September and beyond.
Grace Maghanga said, "The summit of the future intends to bring hope towards the shared global goals amidst our emerging challenges. As an African youth fighting impacts of climate change, we face outcomes of slowed down actions that should be implemented urgently. I would like to highlight the factor of integrational climate injustice where pursuit of welfare by the current generation should not diminish opportunities for a good and decent life for succeeding generations. Incorporating the children and youth is an important aspect of building tomorrow's future (Joel 1:3) and in this, we create a platform to build trust among ourselves, embrace multilateral actions and actualize a better tomorrow."